Buckingham Garden Centre

We are a family run garden centre that is well known nationally as a specialist for bare rooted hedging plants and young trees. The Garden Centre always has a good selection of shrubs and plants which are not commonly found elsewhere, together with a wide range of the more commonly sought after plants. Established for over 50 years, the Garden Centre has recently been redeveloped to a high standard. Our shop contains the largest selection of seeds and bulbs for miles around, together with garden chemicals, tools, garden furniture and many other goods. Outside we stock peat-based and peat-free composts, paving, fencing, timber decking, garden buildings and greenhouses, and a large range of pots, statues and garden ornaments. Our aquatics centre has a good reputation for their excellent quality tropical, marine and cold water fish. The Gardeners' Retreat, our coffee shop/restaurant, serves fresh home cooked food and is an excellent way to round off any visit to the Garden Centre.

How long is the waiting list for a Medical Alert Assistance Dog?Once the completed application is received the waiting list is between 18 months and 3 years, depending on individual requirements and the severity of the medical condition.

How many Medical Alert Assistance Dogs do you have?have placed over 78 throughout the country.

Which conditions do you train Medical Alert Assistance Dogs for?Medical Detection Dogs currently train dogs to assist people living with Type 1 diabetes, Addison’s, severe nut allergy, and PoTS. They will also consider individuals with other life threatening conditions.

What costs are covered by the charity?Medical Detection Dogs do not make any charge for our dogs and during the training period they pay for the dog’s insurance, veterinary fees, medical supplies, equipment, toys, training and food. Once the dog is placed, the client takes over financial support.

What help does the charity need?To continue their ground-breaking work Medical Detection Dogs require donations, as they receive no government support, and volunteers to support the work they do. You can help by sponsoring one of their puppies, or raising funds to name a puppy, by helping pay towards the training of a Medical Alert Assistance Dog. They also have lots of supporters who raise money through challenge events, details of which can be found on the website. Additionally they need: volunteer socialisers, for puppies and dogs to begin the socialising process; volunteer families who are happy to look after one of their Bio-Detection Dogs on a full-time basis; and volunteer fosterers who will look after their dogs on a temporary basis. Medical Detection Dogs could not continue without their fantastic volunteers who help with fundraising, give talks, do administration (at their training centre and in their own homes) and help with events. To join them do contact volunteering@medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk

Does the charity receive any funding?The charity is wholly reliant on donations and receives no government funding.

Does the charity cover the whole of the UK?Medical Detection Dogs cover the whole of England, Wales and Scotland, and have applications for dogs from all areas.

Where do you get the dogs from?Dogs can be donated by members of the public, breeders, other assistance dog charities and rescue centres. The temperament of the dog is very important (Medical Alert Assistance Dogs should be very “people orientated”), as is a good sense of smell.

Can Medical Detection Dogs train family owned dogs?Sometimes people approach Medical Detection Dogs with a pet dog that is showing signs of alerting to their particular condition. If the circumstances are right they will provide support to the client to train their dog and help the dog to become a qualified assistance dog.

How are dogs trained?Dogs are trained using scent and breath samples collected from the client when they are experiencing an episode. The dogs are trained to identify the unique odours.